C88 ICD-10-CM Code: Malignant immunoproliferative diseases and certain other B-cell lymphomas
Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 2 Excludes1 · 4 Excludes2
Coding instructions
Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for C88 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.
Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026
Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum
Notes without a marker are published on C88 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.
Excludes1 — Not Coded Here
Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
- B-cell lymphoma, unspecified (C85.1-) Compare C88 vs C85.1 →
- personal history of other malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissues (Z85.79) Compare C88 vs Z85.79 →
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- Kaposi's sarcoma of lymph nodes (C46.3) Compare C88 vs C46.3 →
- secondary and unspecified neoplasm of lymph nodes (C77.-) Compare C88 vs C77 →
- secondary neoplasm of bone marrow (C79.52) Compare C88 vs C79.52 →
- secondary neoplasm of spleen (C78.89) Compare C88 vs C78.89 →
Source: inherited from C81-C96
Coder workflow for C88
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code C88
- C88 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).
ReviewC88.0, C88.2, C88.3, C88.4, C88.8, C88.9
See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →
- Confirm the documented site and behavior (this code’s block classifies malignant neoplasms), whether the site is primary or secondary, and whether the malignancy is current or a personal history: a previously excised malignancy with no further treatment and no evidence of disease is history, not current disease. Verify the site against the Table of Neoplasms. Neoplasm chapter guidelines (Guidelines I.C.2.a, I.C.2.d, I.C.2.m).
See the Table of Neoplasms entries · Guide: Active cancer vs history of cancer →
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with C88. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Choose the right path
- Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath C88?
Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
No → C88 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs. - Does the documentation support a condition named in C88’s Excludes1 note?
Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
No → Continue.
Consider C88. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.
Documentation check
- The provider’s diagnostic statement
- Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
- Anatomical site
- At the most specific level the record states; a site the classification separates cannot be assumed from a procedure or a measurement.
- Behavior and current-versus-history status
- Malignant, in situ, benign or uncertain; primary or secondary; current disease or personal history (Guidelines I.C.2.m).
Official instructions as workflow
Excludes1 — check before selecting C88(2 notes)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with C88: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a
Excludes2 — not part of C88(4 notes)
Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in C88. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.
CompareC46.3, C77, C79.52, C78.89
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b
Coding decision scenarios
Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases
Documentation: Both the condition C88 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.
Coding question: Can both codes be reported?
Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.
Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.
Code Overview
MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.
Verify Before Coding
From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.
Relationships & Classification
MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets
Other codes that name C88 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.
Referenced by 2 Excludes1 notes: C76 — Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites, C77 — Secondary and unspecified malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes.
These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.
Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: Z15.0 — Genetic susceptibility to malignant neoplasm.
Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.
Contextual Map
Every relationship of C88 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.
Run C88 with these 8 related codes in Claim Check
Hierarchy
- C00-D49 — Chapter 2: Neoplasms (C00-D49) (C00-D49)[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C81-C96 — Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Excludes1
- C85.1 — Unspecified B-cell lymphoma[Excludes1]: “B-cell lymphoma, unspecified (C85.1-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- Z85.79 — Personal history of other malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissues[Excludes1]: “personal history of other malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissues (Z85.79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Excludes2
- C46.3 — Kaposi's sarcoma of lymph nodes[Excludes2]: “Kaposi's sarcoma of lymph nodes (C46.3)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- C77 — Secondary and unspecified malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes[Excludes2]: “secondary and unspecified neoplasm of lymph nodes (C77.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- C78.89 — Secondary malignant neoplasm of other digestive organs[Excludes2]: “secondary neoplasm of spleen (C78.89)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- C79.52 — Secondary malignant neoplasm of bone marrow[Excludes2]: “secondary neoplasm of bone marrow (C79.52)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Excludes1 notes
- C76 — Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites[Excludes1]: “malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue (C81-C96)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- C77 — Secondary and unspecified malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes[Excludes1]: “malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes, specified as primary (C81-C86, C88, C96.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Code First instructions
- Z15.0 — Genetic susceptibility to malignant neoplasm[Code First]: “, if applicable, any current malignant neoplasm (C00-C75, C81-C96)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Nearest codes (18)
- C88.0 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.00 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia not having achieved remission[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.01 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia, in remission[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.2 — Heavy chain disease[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.20 — Heavy chain disease not having achieved remission[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.21 — Heavy chain disease, in remission[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.3 — Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- C88.30 — Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease not having achieved remission[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- and 10 more
Change history
- FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016
Common coding questions
Can C88 be billed directly?
No. C88 (Malignant immunoproliferative diseases and certain other B-cell lymphomas) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.
Sources for this page
Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.
- Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
- CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Claim edits Official source data
- CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
- CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
- Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
- Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
- Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.
Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates
Cite this page
Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.
MedCoder.ai. "C88 — Malignant immunoproliferative diseases and certain other B-cell lymphomas." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/c88-malignant-immunoproliferative-diseases-and-certain-other-b-cell-lymphomas
Change history
- FY2016 — October 1, 2015In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoptionMalignant immunoproliferative diseases and certain other B-cell lymphomas
No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.
Nearest Codes in This Family
Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to C88 in its code family, with their registry titles.
- C88.0 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia
- C88.00 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia not having achieved remission
- C88.01 — Waldenström macroglobulinemia, in remission
- C88.2 — Heavy chain disease
- C88.20 — Heavy chain disease not having achieved remission
- C88.21 — Heavy chain disease, in remission
- C88.3 — Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease
- C88.30 — Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease not having achieved remission
- C88.31 — Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease, in remission
- C88.4 — Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue [MALT-lymphoma]
- C88.40 — Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue [MALT-lymphoma] not having achieved remission
- C88.41 — Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue [MALT-lymphoma], in remission
- C88.8 — Other malignant immunoproliferative diseases
- C88.80 — Other malignant immunoproliferative diseases not having achieved remission
- C88.81 — Other malignant immunoproliferative diseases, in remission
- C88.9 — Malignant immunoproliferative disease, unspecified
- C88.90 — Malignant immunoproliferative disease, unspecified not having achieved remission
- C88.91 — Malignant immunoproliferative disease, unspecified, in remission